1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to an ophthalmic laser system, and means to greatly reduce reaction forces in linear or curvilinear stages of the ophthalmic laser system.
2. Description of Related Art
Laser beam delivery systems are used to perform laser vision correction (LVC) procedures, such as PRK or LASIK procedures. Typically, the laser beam delivery system provides a laser beam from a pulsed laser and directs and/or focuses the laser beam at an ablation plane in which the cornea of a patient is located with precision. The laser beam delivery system conditions the beam and scans the beam across the corneal surface in order to ablate small portions of the cornea in a very controlled manner.
Because precision is required in performing LVC procedures, proper alignment is a significant concern. In particular, the laser should be properly aligned to the ablation plane, and the delivery system should be aligned to direct portions of the beam into monitoring equipment used during the procedure. As laser beam delivery systems generally are relatively complex and many systems include numerous moving parts, the slightest movement of certain system components can affect alignment. Realignment of the system components can be relatively difficult and/or time consuming to perform. However, such repositioning is necessary, as misalignment of the beam degrades the quality of the beam over time and/or damages optical components within the system and/or laser cavity (e.g., the laser output coupler).